[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 125 (Tuesday, July 22, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING ED FEULNER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2025

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, with the passing of Ed 
Feulner, he has been appropriately eulogized for his steadfast 
promotion of modern conservatism. As a Reaganaut serving in the 
Department of Energy, 1981 to 1982, with Secretary Jim Edwards, I know 
firsthand ``The Mandate'' was instrumental in promoting free markets. 
The following is from the National Review on July 20th editorialized:

       ``In 1973 Ed Feulner and his friend Paul Weyrich co-founded 
     the Heritage Foundation, the think tank that nurtured and 
     spread many of the policies that informed the Reagan 
     Administration. Its ``Mandate for Leadership'' policy 
     compendium in 1980 became a guide for the Reaganauts out to 
     change Washington.
       ``Under Feulner, the think tank also became known for 
     short, fast policy summaries delivered to Members of Congress 
     and staff in anticipation of votes. Turnover on Capitol Hill 
     is rapid, and Heritage's missives were influential guides to 
     policies developed on the right over many years.
       ``Like many Reagan-era conservatives, Feulner believed in a 
     coalition built on the three-legged stool of free markets and 
     a smaller government, strong national defense, and 
     traditional views on social policy. He welcomed all factions 
     of what was once called the ``conservative movement,'' from 
     libertarians to Russell Kirk traditionalists to neocons.
       ``For many years, the Journal worked with Heritage on the 
     annual Index of Economic Freedom. The volume ranked countries 
     around the world on various measures of economic liberty. 
     Feulner was notable for believing in a strong U.S. presence 
     in the world, and he was especially close to leaders in 
     Taiwan and South Korea. As recently as the mid-2000s we can 
     recall a delegation of Heritage scholars making the case to 
     us that U.S. defense spending should be 5% of gross domestic 
     product. Today it's closer to 3%, and heading lower under 
     President Trump.
       ``Born outside Chicago in a German-American Catholic 
     family, Feulner attended Regis College in Denver where he 
     discovered conservative ideas. Barry Goldwater was an early 
     political influence. ``You have to choose between liberty and 
     equality,'' Feulner told John Miller of National Review. ``I 
     picked liberty.'' Each year he published an essay by thinkers 
     who defined conservative principles.
       ``Feulner was Heritage president for 37 years and remained 
     a trustee in retirement. The think tank has taken a sharp 
     turn toward Trumpian populism in recent years. It opposes 
     free trade and leans toward an isolationist foreign policy. 
     It focuses less on ideas and more on supporting whatever 
     President Trump does. Feulner wasn't always happy with 
     Heritage's new direction, but he kept his misgivings private 
     out of loyalty to the institution.
       ``As the years advance, it's clear that the late 1970s 
     through the 1980s and 1990s was a unique period of 
     conservative intellectual ambition. Ed Feulner's motto was 
     ``onward, always,'' reflecting his optimism about the 
     durability of America's founding ideals. The young 
     Republicans in Washington may not know it, but they are 
     spending down the intellectual capital stockpiled by Ed 
     Feulner and his generation.''

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